Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday formally received bills that are expected to lead to an expansion of school vouchers and boost efforts to combat sea-level rise and flooding.
DeSantis has until May 25 to act on the measures, which were passed during the legislative session that ended last month.
The vouchers bill (HB 7045), in part, would increase an income threshold so that a family of four making nearly $100,000 a year could qualify for vouchers. Also, it would consolidate the Gardiner and McKay scholarship programs, which serve students with special needs, with the Family Empowerment Scholarship program, which serves a broader population of low- to middle-income families.
The bill (SB 1954) to address sea-level rise and flooding includes spending tens of millions of dollars a year on projects and creating a grant program for local governments. The bill offers up to $100 million per year for projects throughout Florida.
Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls called the grant program “one of the most robust and bold proposals in the entire United States of America to tackle sea level rise and coastal flooding of any state.”
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This article appears in May 5-11, 2021.